The Oyster Bar

That’s what’s written on the wall in The Oyster Bar, and if you get the chance to spend some time there, you’ll soon find out that it’s true.

The Oyster Bar is not just a great place to go for an evening of oyster sampling or feasting, but it’s also a great place to meet and have drinks and appetizers before you head out for dinner.

For our first time out here, Mark and I decided to sample a few drinks, share an appetizer and try a few oysters.

Before I get into the food and drink, let me tell you a bit more about the bar itself first.

When we first sat down, I immediately noticed the large mermaid statue hanging over the bar area. It’s really impressive and unique.

The Oyster Bar Mermaid

Behind the bar at one end is the oyster shucker who prepares all the oysters. I think it’s cool they have him out there so you can watch him “do his thing”.

The walls are bright orange with colourful paintings hung throughout. There are chalk boards behind the bar as well, one of which has the oyster record of 117 written on it.

We asked about this record by the way, and were told that yes, some dude actually ate 117 oysters within the bars two hour “Buck a Shuck” time period which they have every day.

Wow, I thought, you gotta really love them oysters to eat 117 of them!

On the far wall there’s a large rack displaying many of their red wines and you know that’s always a plus with me, miss red wine lover.

The music playing was upbeat and they even had a big projector screen up above us that had a James Bond movie playing.

Overall both Mark and I were really impressed with the atmosphere of this bar.

The first thing we ordered was a couple of drinks. I ordered a glass of “Katnook Shiraz” ($10.75) from Australia and Mark ordered a pint of “Saltspring Heather Ale” ($7).

Saltspring Heather Ale

Both drinks were excellent, and Mark especially loved his beer which was described as a “Scottish ale, slightly hopped and infused with the aroma of Heather flowers from the Butchart Gardens.”

The Oyster Bar serves some of the best local beers from in and around Victoria and also has Guinness on draught so if you love beer, you shouldn’t be disappointed with this bar.

As a side note, they also serve a good variety of martinis and cocktails here as well, which I’m sure I’ll sample next visit!

With our fine drinks in hand, I thought it was time to get on to the real business of the day, and that was for me to try some oysters.

You see, I’m not much of an oyster lover but I was told that the Oyster Bar had oysters that were more mild and sweet than your “average” oyster so I thought I might finally find one I liked.

To help me with my choice of oysters, I asked our very knowledgeable server. She was more than happy to explain to me the different tastes of the various types of oysters they serve.

Because I was after a more mild and sweet oyster, she recommended I try the Kusshi ($2.75 each) and Satori ($2.75 each)oysters.

Kusshi and Satori Oysters

The Kusshi is a “Deluxe” oyster listed on the menu and the Satori was a daily feature oyster.

The oysters range in price from $2.25 per oyster for the “Premium” ones, $2.50 for “Superior” oysters, and $2.75 for the”Deluxe” ones.

If you want to get more for your money, just come between 4:30 pm and 6:30 pm any day for their daily “Buck a Shuck”.

That way you can sample any one of their daily feature oysters for only a dollar each.

SO…. Back to my oyster tasting.

I started with the Kusshi, as I was told this was the mildest of the two.

Our server reminded me to make sure I chewed the oyster after I slurped it into my mouth. Yes, I said chew.

For all of you oyster fans out there that have yet to do this, you are kidding yourself. Just ask any oyster expert about this one. I mean really, if you don’t chew it, how are you supposed to taste it?

So my Kusshi went down okay, but I have to admit that it still tasted like most other oysters I’ve had and didn’t like.

Yes it was a bit milder and maybe less salty too, but I guess I will have to face the fact that I just don’t have the taste buds for these yet.

I tried the Satori and it wasn’t much different than the Kusshi for me, in that I just tasted what I can best describe as “the ocean”, and I’m still not a fan of eating anything that tastes like that.

Oh well, it’s no fault of the Oyster Bar and I have to give our server kudos for trying to help me find one that would suit my taste buds.

Fish Tacos

Since we weren’t going to be eating oysters after all, Mark and I decided to order the “Fish Tacos” ($8) to tie us over until our dinner.

These were made with salmon, and served with coleslaw and green salsa.

Both Mark and I thought they tasted great. Very fresh and different then any other taco we’ve tasted.

Since we were going out to dinner after this, we decided to just stick to drinks after our tacos,.

Next time I come to the Oyster Bar I would love to sample more of their red wine and pair it with their artisan cheese plate.

They also have more appetizers and dinner options like the chipotle shrimp tacos which I bet I will love.